1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to improvements in a conductive ball mounting method and an apparatus therefor. The conductive ball mounting method and apparatus have been developed with a main view to removing the flux which is adhered to the holding face, as has a suction port formed therein, of a holder head.
2. Description of the Related Art
In case the conductive ball such as a solder ball is to be mounted in an electrode on a workpiece such as a substrate, there has been usually adopted a mounting method for adhering an adhesive flux to the solder ball or the electrode.
The space at the solder ball mounting time between the substrate and the holder head of the solder ball is so extremely short as is exemplified by one half to three quarters of the solder ball diameter, such as about 0.2 mm or shorter. Moreover, compressed air has to be injected so as to release the suction of the solder ball from the holder head after the solder ball mounting time. As a result, the flux may be blown away by the impact or wind pressure, by which the solder ball is pushed, and may be adhered around the suction port of the holder head. Still the worse, the dust adhered to the flux may be moved to bring the flux to the holding face of the holder head.
If the flux is thus adhered to the holding face of the holder head, a next solder ball may be held at a position other than the suction port when it is held by a solder ball feeding unit. Alternatively, the flux may be adhered to a solder ball in the solder ball feeding unit so that the solder balls may stick to each other.
In the flux transfer head, there has been provided a cleaning apparatus and a method therefor, as disclosed in JP-A-2001-7136. However, the related art has failed to provide a method for wiping off the flux adhered to the solder ball holding head, and an apparatus therefor.